Too much trust = trouble

Stanford QB Edwards spending extended time in pocket.

Stanford QB Edwards spending extended time in pocket.

October 03, 2006|STEVE WOZNIAK Tribune Staff Writer

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning caught a lot of flak last year when he tried to explain his team's early playoff exit after a loss to the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. "I'm trying to be a good teammate here," he said in January. "Let's just say we had some protection problems." Stanford football coach Walt Harris is a little more blunt when speaking on behalf of Cardinal quarterback Trent Edwards. "I think he's hung in the pocket maybe a little too long," Harris said. "He trusts his line to block for him, but he maybe trusts them a little too much." Through the Cardinal's first five games, all losses, Edwards has been sacked 21 times, including eight times in a 36-10 loss to Washington State and seven times in Saturday's 31-0 loss to UCLA, schools not usually known for fearsome defensive fronts. Only three schools -- Duke, Miami (Ohio) and New Mexico -- have allowed more sacks this season. Right about now, as they watch tape of Stanford, Irish defensive linemen Derek Landri, Trevor Laws, Victor Abiamiri, Chris Frome and Ronald Talley must be collectively salivating. "Trent is one of those guys that just makes you want to go out and play incredibly hard for every snap," said junior Stanford receiver Kelton Lynn, who led the Cardinal with 11 receptions despite starting only one of the first four games. "It's really tough to see him get tackled, take sacks, and to see things not going well for him in his senior season. Trent has amazing character in him. He's always positive, always a great role model, and he's always someone for the team to look towards." If he manages to stay on his feet, Edwards could be one of the better passers in the Pac-10. Edwards is 87-of-143 passing with six touchdowns and six interceptions on the year, good for a respectable 122.63 passer efficiency rating. When Stanford comes to Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Edwards will have to elevate the vertical game. The same offensive line that can't protect him also has failed to create running lanes for backs Toby Gerhart and Anthony Kimble. The Cardinal (101st of 119 teams), like the Irish (100th), rank near the bottom of the NCAA in rushing, averaging only 87.2 yards per game. "We haven't been able to run the ball, because we've had some poor protection," said Harris, "and we've been playing from behind a lot, which has forced us to pass a lot more. "But if you're going to study and analyze the stats, you have to remember we've lost a lot of yards on sacks, so the running game isn't as bad as it looks." On the other side of the ball, the Cardinal isn't much better, allowing 37.4 points and an eye-popping and NCAA-worst 282.8 rushing yards per game. Opposing teams are averaging 5.8 yards per carry against an inexperienced and porous defense. Sounds like Irish tailback Darius Walker may be in line for another big day. "Well, we can contain them by executing our defense -- all 11 guys. It sounds real simple, but they have 11 guys on the other side of the ball that are going to try to keep us from doing that," said Harris, in his second year of rebuilding the Stanford team after some success at Pittsburgh. "We are still our own worst enemy. If we get lined up right, I think it gives our players a better chance. "But, there are some players who have still refused to do that and so their game time will be adjusted. We will make some moves based on what we observe during practice." Gerhart is a freshman, recruited to Stanford more as a standout baseball prospect than for his gridiron exploits. But Harris is still impressed by someone who has averaged 4.2 yards per carry in limited action. "We thought so much of Toby as a person and as a student, as well as a football player. We knew that we had to recruit him to play both sports," said Harris. "Now that we've seen him play, it'd be good for him to be in spring practice, but it also gives him a great chance of not getting injured, by not being in spring training. He's getting a lot of good experience this year so it is working out." Notre Dame had its problems with Stanford last November when quarterback Brady Quinn had to direct the Irish on a late drive for the winning score in a 38-31 victory. That secured a BCS bowl bid in the regular season finale. Even Irish coach Charlie Weis is cautious, saying earlier this week, "Everyone will say 'Stanford hasn't won a game yet. This is a lay-up game for you.' And all I have to do is show them the game from last year." Stanford finished 5-6 last season. Macellari still waits